Gang filling and closing machine



GANG FILLING AND CLGS-I'NG MACHINE.

APPLICATION vFAILED JULY I8. |916.

attenua);

y n MN f lPatented July 13,1920.

j. c'. TAUAFERROAAND l. F. WARME. GANG FILLING AND CLOSING MACHINE.

j APPLlcATloN HLED JULY la. me.

1,346,613. Patented July 13, 1920.

. 5 sains-SHEET 2.

I I I I I I I l I I I I I I I I l I I I I I I I I I I I I l I I l I I I l I I I I l l I I I ---.1 6I,

.1. c. TALIAFERRO AND F. wARME.`

GANG FILLING AND CLOSING MACHINE.

Patented July 13, 1920.`

6. SHEElS-SIIEE 3.

APPLICATION FILED IULY I8. 1916. 1,346,613.

J. C. TLIAFEHRO AND l. F. WARME.

GANG .FILLING AND cLoslNG MACHINE.

APPLICATIGN EIYLED JULY I8. |9I6.

. Patented July 13, 1920.

6 SHEEl'S-SHEE 4.

I. C. TALIAFEHBO AND I. F. WARME. GANG FILLING AND CLOSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY Ia. IsIe.

l ,346,6 1 3 Patented July 13, 1920.

6 SHEE' S-SHIEEI 5.

J. C. TALIAFERRO A ND I. F. WARME.

GANG FILLING AND CLOSING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY I8. |916.

1,346,618. Patented July 13, 1920.

6 SHEEIS-SHEEI 6..

@numana l ff f I iw l wm Wm rotin cu i mannheim, ivan iranien, or

Specialization otllietters Patent.

Patented lliily i3, fhll,

,applicaties emi any ia ieie. sensi im. maare.

reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in combined lling and closing machines, and more particularly to a machine of the above character wherein a plurality of cans are simultaneously filled and subsequently covered and closed.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type wherein a plnrality of cans may be simultaneously filled, after which they are simultaneously fed onto the feeding mechanism of a closing machine and closed in succession one afte another.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character with means for spacing the cans as they are fed to the feeding mechanism of the closingl machine so that they will be delivered to the closing mechanism in proper timed relation to each other.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character wherein a plurality of cans arev taken from the ordinary runway, fed forward step by step, separated from each other and placed under the lilling machine, where they are simultaneously filled, after which they are fed in proper timed relation to each other onto the feeding drum of the closing machine, the feeding drum of the closing machine operating to deliver the cans one at a time to a combined covering and closing mechanism.

'llhese and otherobjects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

lin the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment 'of the invention lFigure 1 is a plan view, showing more or less diagrammatically the lling mechanism, the means for feeding the empty cans to the filling mechanism and for spacing thevcans, and the feed drum of the closing machine;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the feeding and spacing mechanism and alsothe drum which receives thelled cans; Fig. 3 is an end view of the parts shown in F ig. 2, but showing also in dotted linee the feeding slides moved forward for advancing the cans;

Fig. is a view, partly in section and partly in end elevation, showing the feeding mechanism, the filling machine, and the drum feed, and also the supporting table cooperating with the feed drum;

Fig. 5 1s a view, showing more or less diagrammatically in front elevation the closing ymachine and the relation of the filling mechanism to the feeding mechanism of the closing machine;

l3`ig. 6 is a view in plan, showing a slightly modied form of the invention wherein two closing machines are used, one a right hand feed and the other a left hand feed, and the manner of delivering the filled cans thereto; and

Fig. 7 is a front view of the. machine shown in Fig. 6.

rlfhe invention consists primarily in a closing machine which has means for ap- `\plying a cover to av filled can and for securing the cover or end to said filled can. This closing machine is practically of the type for double seaming the end or cover to the can body, although clenching means or other securing means may be used in place of the double seaming rolls.

ln conjunction with the closing machine, there is a lling machine for supplying a plurality of cans simultaneously with a measured amount of liquid substance, solid substances, or semi-solid substance, as desired. Cooperating with this'iilling and closing' machine is a feeding mechanism which, in the present embodiment of the invention, is in the form 'of reciprocating members adapted to take va plurality of 'empty cans from a runway "and feed these cans forward stepby step, first underneath the filling machine, where each can heing fed is lled, and afterward delivering these filled cans to the feeding drum of the closing machine.

Cooperating with the feeding mechanism ritl limi

are spacingdevices which separate the cans that are in contact with each other in the runway for presenting the cans to the filling machine, and still farther separate and properly space the cans as they are delivered to the feed drum of thev closing machine so that they will be carried along by the feed drum and delivered one after the other to the closing mechanism in proper timed relation to the operation thereof while one series of cans is being filled. Referring more in detail to the drawings:-

There is shown a closing machine which consists of a supporting standard 1 carrying a head 2 in which is mounted a rotating closing head herein shown as provided with seaming rolls 3. Associated withthe closing machine is a stack holder 4, and can ends or cover are taken one at a time from this stack holder and placed on the supporting head underneath the closing mechanism for applying and securing a cover to a can ody.

Associated with this closing machine is a supporting table 5 on which is mounted to rotate a feed drum 6. This feed drum has a thread 7 mounted thereon which serves as a means for conveying the filled cans along the table 5 and presenting the same tol the closing machine. This closing machine together with the drum feed for conveying the cans to the closing machine one after the other is a well-known type of machine in this art, and further description thereof is not thought necessar Attached to the tagle 5 is a supporting frame 8 which carries the filling machine and the feeding mechanism. The filling machine is only shown diagrammatically in the drawings and consists of a tank 9 which is fed from a supply pipe 11, and located within this tank is a fioat 12. Associated with the fioat l2 is a filling valve 13. The feed drum 6 is mounted on va shaft 14 which is driven from the closing machine and in proper timed relation thereto. This shaft 14 carries a gear 15 which meshes with a gear 16 on a shaft 17 mounted in suitable brackets in the supporting frame 8. Located on the shaft 17 is a cam 19 which cooperates with a roller 20 and a lever 21. The lever 21 is fulcrumed at 22 to a bracket 23.

This lever is connected to a rod 24, and the rod 24 operates the inlet valve for the pipe 11. This inlet valve is located at 25, see Fig. 1.

Also mounted on the shaft 17 are two cams 26 and 27, see Fig. 1. The cam 26 cooperates with a lever 28 which is connected to a rod 29 attached to one end of a cross bar 30. A lever 31 coperates with the cam 27, and this is attached to a rod 32 which engages the other end of the cross bar 30. This cross bar serves to control the filling valves 13 which are attached thereto. It will be understood that there is a discharge nozzle and filling valve for each can to be filled, and these are simultaneously operated by this cross bar. The fioat 12 is operated by two cams on the shaft 17, and these cams coperate with the levers 33. These levers are connected through suitable rods with the` float controlling plate 34. This plate is attached to the floats by suitable devices.

This filling mechanism is of the wellknown construction in this art and has only been briey referred to in order that its relation to the closing machine may be understood. The essential feature of the filling machine consists in the separate discharge nozzles which are controlled in timed relation with the operation of the closing machine to the feeding mechanism so that a series of empty cans may be placed one under each discharge nozzle and all the cans simultaneously filled, after which the filling valves are closed while the filled cans are fed forward onto the feeding drum of the closing machine anda new series of cans are placed under the nozzles to be filled.

The empty cans are delivered to the filling mechanism from a runway. The cans are shown at C in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the cans by suitable devices are righted up as they reach this filling machine and, as shown in this figure, six cans are placed right side u ready to be delivered to the filling machlne.. These cans comingl down the runway by gravity and into the machine will be in contact with each other.

Carried by the frame 8 is a supporting table 35. When the cans to be filled are directly underneath the discharge nozzles for the filling machine, they rest on this table. Directly in rear of the filling posi- -plate 39 which is also fixed to the supporting table 35,;and reciprocating over the plate 39 is a slide 40. These slides 37, 38 and 40 are all clamped to a reciprocating bar 41, which is suitably guided by these reciprocating plates so that the plates may be lll ` moved back and forward a limited distance. l

The reciprocating bar 41 has two depending arms 42 which are connected by links 43 to arms 44 attached to a shaft 45. The shaft 45 has a second arm 46 carrying aroller 47 which runs in a cam groove 48 in a disk carried by the shaft 17. This cam groove 48 is so shifted as to reciprocate the bar 41 and the slides 37, 38 and 40.

When the cans are fed to the machine, they rst rest on the plate 39. The slide 40 coming into contact with these cans will carry them forward a step onto the plate 36. @n theA next reciprocation of the bar 41, the slide 38 will engage the cans and simultaneously carry them forward onto the=supporting plate 35 and directly underneath the deli'veringspouts of the filling mechanism. 0n the next re'ciprocation of the bar 41, this series of cans which is under the filling machine and has been filled will he carried forward onto the table 5 of the closing mam chine. l ln the drawings, we have shown the machine as o erating to fill simultaneously six cans. `Re erring to Fig. 2, the six empty cans are shown on the'plate 39 and lin close contact with each other. This is brought about through the gravity delivering of the cans onto the filling machine. As the cans are moved forward onto the plate 36, separating and spacing guides 49 separate the cans from each other and properly positions the same under the filling machine The central separating plate 49 directly over the supporting plate 36 is substantially straight, while the separating and spacing plates at each side thereof are deflected so that the cans are carriedV laterally simultaneously away from a center line passing between the two center cans. ln other words, the two center cans are separated, the next two cans are moved in opposite directions and away from the two central cans, and the last two are also moved in opposite directions away :from the two center cans. These separating plates are substantially straight to a point directly underneath the lling machine and from the filling machine to the feed drum they incline toward the closing head of the machine and the direction of travel of the cans by the drum so that, when the slide 37 moves forward to carry the cans onto the drum and the table of the closing machine, they are moving in the general direction of the feed of the cans by the drum. The table 5 is formed with a shoulder 504 which serves as a guiding ledge for thecans, and the drinn as it turns will carry the cans to the closing machine. rlhese separating devices, therefore, space the cans for the filling machine and also space the filled cans so that they will be delivered between the threads on the drum, and this insures their proper timed delivery to the closing machine.

six cans may be utilized for the filling operation. This greatly increases the capacity of the machine, which is more or less limited by the time required for filling a can.

ln Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, we have shown two closing machines, one indicated at A and the other at B. Each closing machine is provided with a seaming head 51, a' stack holder 52 for holding the ycovers or ends to be applied to the filled cans. There is a single supporting table 53 which is attached to both machines and a right and left hand drum 54 and 55 which terminates at the end of this table 53. The empty cans are received from a runway 56 onto the supporting plate of the filling-in mechanism, and the are fed forward as described above to the lling machine, the cans being separated and spaced by the separating and spacing devices 49.

ln these figures of the drawings, We have shown only four filling nozzles operating simultaneously to fill four cans. his fill- V ing machine is so disposed that two of `the four cans will be delivered to the closing machine A, while the other two of the four filled cans will be simultaneously delivered to the closing machine B. This is accoms plished by changing the inclination of the spacing and separating devices 49 so that the cans will be fed in proper spaced relation to the feed drums and taken by the feed drums to the closing machines.

' lt is obvious that other modified changes llt' ofv the feeding devices and the filling machine may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims. v Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is p l. The combination of means for simultaneously filling a plurality of cans, means for receiving the empty cans from a :runway, a reciprocating member f or movingb a' :we plurality ofempty cans from the runway to and beneath the dlling means whereby they may be simultaneously filled, devices for separating the cans from each other as they are moved beneath the filling means, coniat neath the lling means onto the feeding aan means for the closing machine and properly spaced and in timing for operation vthereon by the closing machine as they are delivered thereto.

2. rlhe combination with means for simultaneously filling a plurality of cans, means for receiving empty cans from a runway, a reciprocating member for moving a plurality of empty cans from the runway to and beneath the filling means, whereby they may be simultaneously filled, devices for separating and spacing the cans from each other as they are fed beneath the illing means, a 'continuously rotating feeding drum having a thread wound thereon for delivering the cans one at a time to a closing machine, means for feeding the spaced cans from beneath the filling machine onto said drum, said cans being spaced so as to pass between adjacent threads respectively, and

said feeding means being timed so as to place the cans `between the threads.

ln testimony whereof we aHiX our-signatures. v c

JOHN C. TALlAFlERRO). TVAR F. WARME. 

